Los Balbo : El poder gaditano en Roma

Did you know that a native of Gades was Rome’s first non-Italian consul? Or that Gades became the empire's most important city after the capital itself? Have you heard of any of the three Lucius Cornelius Balbus figures? How did a family of merchants from the Iberian Peninsula rise to the pinnacle of Roman power? Which theaters and aqueducts bear their mark? Why has their story been forgotten? The shores of Gades gave rise to a lineage of great merchants who, through exceptional intelligence and proven loyalty, would eventually reach the highest political echelons of the *Urbs Aeterna*. In this commendable work, Francisco Uría rescues—from both historiographical limitations and fictional distortions—three generations essential to understanding the legend: Lucius Cornelius Balbus the Elder, the visionary who laid the foundations for a vast fortune and an extensive network of patronage; his son, the consul Lucius Cornelius Balbus the Major, a friend and protégé of Caesar; and his nephew, Lucius Cornelius Balbus the Minor, a daring military commander who, after victory in Africa, became the first provincial to celebrate a triumph in Rome and left a legacy of monumental works. This book is not merely the epic biography of a dynasty that navigated the turbulent waters of governance, business, and war; it is also a detailed and gripping chronicle of the profound Romanization of part of Hispania and the extraordinary influence one of its cities came to wield within the Roman world.